Entertainment

Here's How Apple Put a Retina Display in the iPad

The so-called "retina" display for the new iPad is by far its most obvious — and technologically remarkable — feature. After all, the upgraded screen crams more than 3 million pixels in an area smaller than a piece of paper. How did Apple do it? A display analysis company has the answer.

First, it's important to understand the challenge. Besides the added difficulty in miniaturizing smaller components, when you shrink pixels down to the size they are in the new iPad, the tiny little wires that send signals to the pixels start to get so close together that they can affect each other. The problem is called cross-talk (or, more precisely, capacitive coupling), and Apple's right when it says on the iPad features page that it can affect the quality of your image.

To overcome the issue, Apple separated the actual pixels from the signal wires with a thin resin layer, according to this brief analysis from DisplaySearch. By putting an acrylic film just 3 micrometers thick in between the pixels and the wires, it eliminates cross-talk and also has the benefit of increasing the screen's "aperture ratio" — the amount of screen space that light actually passes through (if you look close enough at an LCD screen, you'll see lines between the pixels which contain components that drive the pixels).

The technology is called a Super High Aperture, or SHA, design. You can see how it differs from a regular LCD in the DisplaySearch table below.

And this may come as a shock, but Apple didn't invent the tech. DisplaySearch says SHA screens were pioneered by Sharp and JSR years ago, but they weren't widely adopted because of the cost of production and difficulties in manufacturing large quantities of the screens. However, the recent demand for high-resolution mobile displays has led to a surge in production. More than 25% of today's LCDs include the new tech, says DisplaySearch.

It also means Apple is exaggerating just a wee bit when it says that to create the iPad's retina display, it had to design the device "in a completely new way."

How much of a game-changer do you think Apple's 2,048 x 1,536 retina display is? And is it the main reason you'd buy one? Sound off in the comments.

BONUS: The New iPad in Detail

Apple's New iPad: 9 Features That Matter

1. Retina Display

The most touted feature of the new iPad is its ultra-high-resolution "retina" display, which clocks in at 2,048 x 1,536 pixels -- a million more pixels than a 1080p HDTV. Thanks to the extra pixels and the iPad's new graphics processor, the screen has 44% better color saturation. The screen's pixels are so small, Apple says it had to change the design of the LCD itself to elevate the pixels above the circuitry to prevent distortion. Apple calls it the best display ever made for a mobile device, and -- from the specs -- it's hard to disagree.

2. A5X Processor

To drive those millions of pixels in the retina display with the same fluidity of previous iPads, the new model features an upgraded processor, called the A5X. It's a dual-core processor, though it features quad-core graphics. Full specs aren't known yet, but benchmarks and teardowns revealed the previous A5 chip (found in the iPhone 4S and iPad 2) was a 1GHz processor. The new one is likely somewhere between 1 and 1.5 GHz.

3. iSight Camera

Apple upgraded the iPad's camera to capture 5-megapixel still pictures and 1080p video (at 30 frames per second), though that's still less than the iPhone 4S's 8MP camera. However, megapixels aren't the most important thing about a camera. The backside-illuminated sensor, large f/2.4 aperture and automatic image stabilization will improve the quality of your photos and videos, especially in low light. However, the front-facing camera got no love, remaining at VGA resolution.

4. LTE Models

Apple now offers different models of the iPad that can connect to the 4G LTE networks of both AT&T and Verizon. Since the two carriers use different bands for LTE, the models aren't identical, so don't think you'll be able to switch at will. The pricing plans vary, too, but both carriers offer it month-to-month -- no contracts. Either LTE model offers connection to 3G networks when you take your iPad abroad, though -- a feature previously limited to the AT&T version.

5. Dictation

There's no Siri on board the new iPad, but Apple added a dictation option, accessible via a dedicated button on the virtual keyboard. You can use the new dictation feature to send a text message, search the web or write a note. Apple says it'll even work with third-party apps, letting you tweet or post to Facebook just by speaking.

6. AirPlay Video Streaming at 1080p*

Apple upgraded the iPad's ability to use AirPlay streaming -- that is, transmitting video to the Apple TV wirelessly -- to 1080p. That makes complete sense, since the Apple TV just got an upgrade to 1080p. This doesn't appear to be complete mirroring, however, since Apple specifies that "AirPlay Mirroring" is only done at 720p (as opposed to "AirPlay video streaming"). Both the iPad and the iPad 2 will mirror to the new Apple TV at 1080p resolution over a hard-wire connection.

*This item was corrected after reviewing Apple's spec sheet in more detail.

7. Bluetooth 4.0

Upgrading the iPad to Bluetooth 4.0 is helpful in a number of ways. Thanks to its ability to work with the newer low-power Bluetooth devices, it'll allow accessory manufacturers to build things like keyboards that you won't need to recharge for months or even years. Bluetooth 4.0 will also let the iPad interact with wearable devices like medical sensors, gathering data like heartbeat or blood sugar level and relaying it to medical personnel when needed.

8. Much Bigger Battery

All these great new features -- especially the retina display -- demand more power, yet the new iPad has the exact same battery life as the previous model. That's because it has a brand-new battery, rated at 42.5 watt-hours, almost double the previous model's 25 watt-hours. It appears, though, Apple hasn't had a breakthrough in battery storage, since leaks prior to the event showed the battery is simply physically much larger.

9. Thicker Design

Because of all the new radios, layers and gizmos in the latest iPad, it's actually bigger than before. The new iPad is 0.37 inches thick, or 0.03 inches thicker than the iPad 2, which was 0.34 inches. It's heavier, too: 1.44 pounds to 1.33 before. The bigger design apparently doesn't affect Smart Covers, and it's still smaller than the first iPad, which was 0.5 inches thick and 1.5 pounds. Still, the heftier new iPad is interesting proof that Apple will compromise on design for performance -- albeit only slightly.

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